


Quiet like the Mist

by DeviousMachinations



Category: Homestuck
Genre: 1830s, Alternate Universe, Celtic Mythology & Folklore, Coming of Age, F/M, Historical Fantasy, M/M, Northern Ireland, alphaverse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-27
Updated: 2013-04-26
Packaged: 2017-12-09 10:31:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/773180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeviousMachinations/pseuds/DeviousMachinations
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jake had always been warned not to disturb the Fair folk, to keep to the path and walk true. To not heed their callings or disappear into the mist after a voice or look too closely at them. For death would follow him if he dared. They would charm him into a spell that would garner his emotions toward only them. Instead he was told to focus on taking over the farm once Grandma had exhausted her strength, especially with famine sweeping through the country as he grew older. Jade's innovation could only last so long.</p><p> "Beware the kelpie, the water horse who walks upon the land..."</p><p> He should have listened.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Quiet like the Mist

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everybody! This is DeviousMachinations or Dev, with a debut fic of mine that's been in the works for quite some time now. I've seen plenty of fics depicting Dirk as a centaur but none that based him out of kelpie folklore. I was inspired by an old fanfiction I had read once when I was more invested in the Kingdom Hearts fandom so I wished to take my own spin on it. This is based in around the 1830s and onward starting in the northern part of Ireland, in particular Cork County. I've done quite a bit of research but if anything is off feel free to comment about it. Granted this is still the first chapter so there are a few things that are unclear, but do not worry all will be cleared up in time! Time dedicated to this fic and another very special one (I will be posting it within the next couple weeks!) will be in the works, but don't worry I do have this one planned till the bitter end! This one may just take longer because it requires I do a lot of research to back up the historical world I've created. Also lots of editing wow yeah. Still doing that to this chapter a little bit but I believe I caught everything. I sincerely hope you enjoy it though! c: More tags will come as the story progresses.
> 
> Also a shout out to my beta reader Kyraelii or my friend Dave!

The rain in Ireland is like no other, it comes down in a steady sheet, and even the glinting of dawn's sunlight can be seen through the water droplets. It was one such morning that Jake was privy to, and it still amazed him even at seven years old as he stared outside the window of his grandmother’s cottage, a small old thing on the crest of a hill a good while from the ocean. It was a tiny farm, but prosperous even though the past few years had been riddled with famine. The rain was a blessing as it dribbled down the glass pane in curvy streaks that the boy traced with his finger, feeling the coolness as he smudged it.

Inside was warmed by the fireplace that kept going, to which his sister Jane attended to carefully. She and Jake had been adopted by their Grandmother, who sat in the creaking old rocking chair near the fire, instructing Jane on how to tend to it properly. Jake could hear her strong yet calm voice above the crackle of wood, giving praise and advice when needed. As the water grew less and less fascinating for the dark haired boy at the window, he looked to the door. It was usually around this time that he gathered up the water bucket to the spring for breakfast preparations but it was still raining outside. He wondered when it would cease, or if he should grab one of the other buckets outside.

As if sensing his restless thoughts, his Grandma chuckled and called out for him. Hearing his name, Jake bounded over to her chair as she sat up. “Off to fetch the water, hm?” Her voice was light, and full of quiet merry, reaching over to pat his head as Jake stared up at her with his usual boyish grin. Jade Harley wasn’t an old woman despite the title she’d asked her young charges to call her, and not in the least bit feminine if you looked at her up close. Jade had the most beautiful hair, raven like his and flowing like a waterfall. He liked to think his grandma was a fairy tale princess but with more gusto from the muscles she had from working the farm. It was hard to picture Jade with anything but a determined look on her face, she’d never had anything of a husband from what Jake knew and took to wearing men’s clothing whenever possible; best to look the part if you were running a farm by yourself. It wasn’t assumed proper for a woman to be doing a man’s work, especially out on the fringes of town, far from any man who would surely protect her. Obviously any man who would say such a thing hadn’t seen Grandma Harley with a rifle in her hand crack shoot a mark from three hundred yards away. Barely thirty and she’d taken in Jake and Jane from the town one day when they were little. Jake didn’t dwell on that now though, after all, he had a job to do.

“Well, yes! I was going to do just that, but it’s still raining, is that alright Grandma?” Jake was always on top of things, seeing himself as the man of the house, which he certainly was! He had to take care of the big jobs like the water and feeding plus tending to the animals while his sister learned the inside work. Although, the fields were always Grandma’s responsibility she told him, when he was ten he could learn the plow and other hardworking jobs. It was just them out on this side of the forest, so no one paid the old loon and her children much mind. Jake liked it better that way; he didn’t need the people of the nearby city. It was dirty and full of people who couldn’t get by doing farm work and living out here in the natural state of the land. Jane however was in love with the city the first time she saw it.

She could see past all of the noise and bustle, finding she loved the dresses she saw some other women wearing and the little shops with all of their wares to sell. Jane was the complete opposite of her Grandmother and Jake. However, she always did her best in the kitchen, cooking up new things and taking to all of it quick as any barn cat. Grandma was always in awe of her ingenuity, and while she did have friends in the city, Jade Harley was a marvel for anyone to behold, they rarely paid them any visits. The scarce few times they did visit, Jane always went with, taking in the sights and sounds as if she could engrave them into her very senses and reveled in the fact her grandmother cleaned up to be a beautiful lady whenever they took the trip to town. There was definitely more than one occasion that Jake overheard Jane telling Jade she should dress a bit more feminine, that she was beautiful like that. Jake on the other hand vouched to stay as far as possible from the entire rabble, and his petulant seven year old temper surely made taking him along a struggle. A firm word from Grandma though and he was trudging along behind was usually all it took.

“Of course it’s alright, Jake,” she said smiling as she leaned back in her chair. “Best wait a little while longer though; we’ll need fresh water on the double for what Jane wants to try tonight, no use waiting for the water to boil off all the nasty spirits.” Jake nodded in understanding, he was on the job! There would be fresh water from the spring for Jane soon as the silly rain stopped its pattering! There was a slight pause before Jade spoke again, “How about a little story to pass the time?”

“Oh! Of course, yes a story would be splendid!” Even at seven, there wasn’t a child more enraptured to a story than Jake English. English had been the last name of Jade’s father, and it had seemed appropriate to give it to Jake when the boy had been taken under Jade’s wing, no need for him to have a woman’s last name. So Jake took to his usual story listening position at his grandmother’s feet, knees tucked up under his chin as Jane came over to sit next to him, just as excited if not a bit quieter.

“Very well, and take this to heart dears. Especially you Jake as you go out afterward. There are many stories about all the different kinds of fae out in our forest. Faeries that would steal you away with their entrancing magics and the little folk who live underneath a person’s steps or the little troll whose busy gathering trash in the city… But there’s a very important one I’ve spoken about before. The water fae, do you remember which one?”

“Oh! The kelpie, right?” Jane piped up and Jade nodded, leaning over to ruffle her hair.

“That’s right. Beware the kelpie, the water horse who walks upon the land. Fear its beauty lest you be tempted to leap upon its back and tame the beast. The ride would certainly be your last. There is a good reason we leave offerings for it kids. It’s said a ghostly white brook horse can be seen in the banks of the river of our spring on foggy mornings such as this, a tempting, beautiful creature with a mane of shimmering, dripping wet gold. It is best to leave it be, and should you see it back far away. Go toward the nearest puddle on a day like this should it become interested in you. For kelpies cannot move in stagnant waters. Though, it is said that if you can manage to bridle and saddle such a beast they are yours and will work tirelessly. But to have such a fae as a prisoner is foolish.”

“What it would be like to have a horse like that though, grandma!” The words weren’t the right ones it seemed, and Jade’s look was accompanied by a heavy frown.  
“You must never try to ride the kelpie Jake, no matter how much it urges you to. Else you’ll be stuck to their skin, and unable to break free as it plunges into the water’s depths, drowning you. Humans are a favorite meal of the kelpie, do not take their offerings. No matter how beautiful it may be, you must not trust it.”

“Golly…they do seem like a terribly frightening thing.”

“Jake you must promise me you’ll never think to ride the beast nor go near it. Do you promise?” 

“I promise Grandma.”

Smiling Jade leaned down once more to hug both of them in unison, “Good boy, now off with both of you, the rain has ceased and it’s high time we returned to our work!”

Jake was up in a flash, grinning and rushing for the door and his boots, shoving his feet down into the worn leather soles. Lacing up the boots didn’t take terribly long either, and his old jacket, always a bit too big for him, was grabbed roughly off the nail hook beside the door. Opening the door roughly he jumped out onto the ground, making a note of leaping over the puddles left by the rain. A light sprinkle was still falling to the ground of rain, but it was pleasant enough as Jake gathered up the bucket next to the side of the house. Soon he was back in front of the place, racing out in the direction of the forest. He could hear his grandmother’s call behind him as he paused in his running to turn around to hear her fully.

“It would do you well to be back here soon Jake!”

“Of course! Nothing to it, you can count on me!” With a gleeful grin the scruffy dark haired boy threw a wave over his shoulder with the water bucket at his grandmother as he ran past the fields and into the forest. It was always the same path, worn down by ages of English feet going down this path to the freshwater spring. The little sounds of the forest were lost to the wind rushing by Jake’s ears as the boy loped down the hills. Ten minutes was all it took, shorter at the breakneck run Jake was taking. At the last hill there it was, a tiny waterfall trickling crystal clear water into the bluish-green colored lake. From the lake a stream was gurgling down into a less traveled part of the forest, where Jake knew it would empty eventually into the ocean.

Tramping down the hill, it wasn’t long before he reached the water’s edge and by now the mist had settled in an even sheet throughout the area thinly. Jake could see his hands in front of his face, which meant it wasn’t too bad yet. Granted in the early mornings the fog would settle so thickly it was almost as if the whole of the land had been tossed into a milky blizzard in the morning and then burning up as if spring had gotten a jump-start to fight it off like an intruder of the season. Taking off his boots and socks, he walked a few paces out into the water. Dipping the bucket into the water, it took some effort to haul it back up onto the shoreline. Looking out into the misty air, Jake took his time putting his socks back on as his eyes scoured, in search of the beautiful monster grandma had spoken of.

But there was nothing, and Jake sighed as he tugged on one boot and then the other. Lacing up his boots he stood at the edge of the water again, cupping his hands into the cool blue to bring up some water for a quick drink as he looked out again over the water. “Hey!” Maybe it would show up just a little bit if he called. Jake really was a foolish boy, calling for the water fae to reveal itself to him. Sighing he wondered if he would ever see it, just to say he had. What an adventure that would be! That way when he was fully grown he could tell everyone that he really had seen the monstrous beast.

“I truly wish to see you,” his voice tapered off, but still there wasn’t any sight of the magical being. It was worth a try. Turning he leaned over to pick up the bucket and head back when the sound of splashing reached Jake’s ears. He was so shocked he dropped the bucket, soaking his boots and socks as he whipped around. Nothing? But, he’d heard it! He frowned, looking around and it was gone. But- oh wait! There it was again from the opposite end! As soon as Jake’s eyes found the spot there was nothing once more. Huffing he crossed his arms over his chest as the same happened again and again. Finally he shouted, “Enough toying around with me!” Jake could have sworn he heard a faint nicker from across the waterfall’s tinkling and there it was in a soft silhouette of white and gold.

Walking forward, Jake could see the shape was standing in one of the rougher parts of the river and through the mist it finally took the shape of a huge horse. The sleek white-grey coat looked soft in the mist and Jake was enraptured as the huge equine towered over the dark haired boy, taking a few steps out of the water to stand in front of him. Jake must have seemed stupid with awe as the horse gave a sort of laugh, tossing his head as the wet white gold mane sent a wave of water dropping onto Jake’s head.  
Throwing up his arms to shield his head from the cascading wetness, Jake could only peek behind his glasses at the majestic being. Slowly, ever so slowly, he brought his arms down as the horse took a few steps forward and Jake felt paralyzed. His breath came shaking out as the nose of the tall animal hovered just above his crop of raven hair. The horse seemed to just be a pressure of majesty, of pride and a being that knew what it was and who Jake was in regards to him. He was a prince or a king of magic and status while Jake was on par with maybe a lowly page or even lower, a serving boy. 

Trying to take a stumbling step backwards sent the boy slipping on a wet rock to land painfully on his backside. Blinking back the tears, he could have sworn he heard a faint nicker that had the presence of a chuckle. Scrambling to his feet, Jake tried to puff himself up and face this danger head on. After all, grandma had said they were ferocious--the kelpies that is. But there was a nagging part of Jake’s mind that said that maybe this was just a regular old horse, and maybe if he brought it home he could be praised by his grandma. She wouldn’t have to work so hard out when doing her gardening and working the farm! 

Jake blinked; he’d spaced out and completely forgotten that this was what the kelpie wanted, to make him ride it so then it could devour him. Biting his lower lip, he shuffled backwards again, finding surer footing then as the kelpie stepped ever closer again. Behind him was the river and going forward to his home was impossible, the beautiful monster towering right before him. Not to mention could easily outrun him. To his right was the forest, but it was dense and he didn’t know the trails in that part of the wood. He could get hopelessly lost, and then a kelpie would be the last thing on his mind! No he just had to…get away. But how? 

All his options seemed utterly dashed though, and the kelpie was so terribly close. It would smell his fear no doubt, monsters did that in the stories, and Jake thought to himself that he needed to be brave. A brave adventurer like in the stories would slay this beast, and bring his head back to the village and be praised. But he was really just a boy, who did he think was he fooling? Certainly not the kelpie, as the fae breathed in before huffing out a large breath right in Jake’s face. It was warm and smelled of the sea and all its riches.

“P-please, I didn’t mean you any harm,” Jake’s voice was small as he tried to speak his way out of this. “I’ll leave you be, I swear it!” 

The horse appeared disinterested in what he had to say, though. There was a toss of the river beast’s head and a deep voice, likened to the roar of tumultuous waves was heard in Jake’s ears, making his eyes widen.“Don’t swear oaths you cannot keep, boy. After all it was you who wished to see me. You should be happy. Am I what you expected you pathetic twit?”

Jake’s mouth went dry as he tried to speak, but in the end only a small little, “No,” came out. He was so much more than Jake had expected. That seemed to amuse the kelpie, and there was a pause as the horse snorted again, making a circle around Jake’s small form, it was only then that the boy could get a closer look at what he was seeing. The kelpie had to be at least 18 or 19 hands height from what Jake knew of the greatly smaller horse that lived in his grandmother’s barn. It was enormous and towered like a prideful king, and the carriage matched to suit him. Prideful, yet stuck up in an aloof way with the fact Jake barely heard the monster’s hooves in the wet shoreline of the river with the slow pace he was keeping.

“You’re barely a snack,” the tone was light, almost teasing, and of course Jake took offense to it.

“I am certainly not. Besides, you won’t be eating me anyhow!” 

“Brave words, but brave men are often coupled with stupidity and die because of it. Ah but that’s right, you’re nothing of a man, are you boy?” It was obvious he was just trying to frighten Jake, and it was certainly working. “Go back to your mother’s skirts, else who knows what magics the misty evening might do to you? They may swallow up your way, and oh, poor boy, never to be seen again.”

“Y-you don’t scare me. Why don’t you just let me leave and I’ll just-”

“You’ll just what?” the kelpie cut him off, “Run home? Tell the world a fae lives in your spring. Funny, funny. I’ve a thought to eat you here after all, I don’t get many meals walking right up to my doorstep to knock on the door and invite me to sup at my place.”

That choked the words right out Jake, staring up at the beast with a gaping expression. The river horse gave a strange chuckle; coming from a horse it sounded peculiar, but somehow it seemed to fit. “Go home, boy.” The order was both relieving and paralyzing to Jake. He couldn’t move, what if the monster was lying to him? What if when he turned his back he would be eaten anyway? The kelpie couldn’t be trusted. 

But it was seeing Jake’s frozen state, and there was a sudden shift in the atmosphere as the gaze directed at him became irritated. “What are you deaf? I said, go home.” Still Jake hardly moved, swallowing as he took only a shaky step back. The monster wasn’t happy with his order not being followed immediately. There was a pause—and then the horse took a step back to mirror Jake and reared, flashing hooves mightily close to the human's face as its eyes burned with a peculiar orange fire.

That was what scared Jake most in that moment, which caused him to wheel about and run for the river downstream. The heavy footstep of his shoddy boots against the wet rocks and his heartbeat thrumming loudly in his ears was the beat he fled to. He needed to cross the river; there should be a ford somewhere, at least one place safe enough to cross. But that was the kelpie’s territory, where he was king and the best combatant. Jake had to take the risk. As he neared the river he was sure he heard hoof beats behind him in violent pursuit, and he tried to pick up the pace against his body’s will. He would drop like a stone were he willing to let himself do it, but the fear of being devoured by the river horse kept him going.

No sooner did he reach a good place to cross the thumping behind him sounded louder along with a harsh command in a foreign tongue. That just made Jake more stubborn to get away. His escape was stopped by a feeling of being picked up by the back of his shirt, spiking his fear as he kicked and thrashed. “Let me go! Lemme go!” His arms flailed and a very disgruntled sound was his reply, but didn’t pay much mind. He punched at the horse’s snout whose teeth had snatched him up to dangle him over the river. When he felt a movement of being pulled away he panicked, and elbowed the beast up high. He heard a curse, or what he assumed would have been such, as he went toppling into the river and all sound was cut off from his ears by roaring water. 

The water was at a much quicker pace here, and about a hundred yards down would turn to rapids. Jake’s breath was knocked from him the instant he slapped into the water, not expecting that in the slightest. He flailed his hands, trying to get a grip on one of the rocks he smashed up against as the current carried him down the river.  
It was completely futile, as whenever he would get a grip, his fingers would slip. And breaking his head above water would just drag him back down into the watery depths. The one sure hold Jake got, he couldn’t get his head above water, the whole river seemed to darken and he’d lost his glasses in his previous struggles. 

Eventually, his senses started to slip until Jake didn’t feel or hear anything, just a blanketing darkness, like the river in his eyes. A few sounds did slip through, muffled as he felt himself almost reaching up through the blackness to wake up. He wanted to go home, and wake up. But he did hear something, before Jake sank back into unconsciousness.  
“Never ask or go looking for me again.”

\---

Jake awoke to instantly tossing his head side to side, looking around frantically. He was home in his grandmother’s bedroom in her bed with the blankets tucked up to his chin. His eyes found the window; the rain had started up again. There was an enormous ache in his head and reaching up, he touched linen covering his hair and forehead. What...? It was then he remembered. The kelpie, how did- Kicking off the sheets as best he could, the boy sprinted for the door, racing past his grandmother who yelled his name after him. He threw open the door, shoes left abandoned by it to run a few paces out into the rain, breathing hard and staring out into the darkness.

Never. The word strummed with a chilling finality in Jake’s head. And he couldn’t stop thinking about it, or the kelpie who had just saved his life. He knew he wouldn’t be able to stand by without going back, and it made him swallow with fear. Jake wanted to see the monster again. The one who gave him his life back, and maybe…maybe what? The boy wasn’t sure. But it was clear that Jake still was a very, very foolish boy as his eyes never left the forest blackness. 

Jade was quick to usher him back inside, picking him up to take him in after seeing Jake standing there staring out into the rain. She closed the door behind them tightly, as if that alone could shut out more than just the elements. She could detect what was happening, and she didn't like it one bit.


End file.
